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I love my Bullet Journal and I have my friend, Kristie, to blame. (I can actually blame her for a few things…). And I can be blamed for getting a few of my friends hooked.

But I’ve had a few people ask me what a bullet journal is and how some of my layouts help me. So I thought I would go through mine.

A bullet journal is an analog system for a digital age. It is essentially: a) a journal; b) a task list; c) a place for notes from meetings, etc.; d) a place to house some collections like Movies to Watch, Bills to Pay, Projects to Knit.

A bullet journal can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. It is made to work for you! And what’s a bonus is that in the end, you’ll have a journal that shows things you did and maybe even has some musings or life happenings sprinkled in.

So, let me show you mine! (Click on any of the images to make them bigger. I’ve whited out private information…hopefully)

Leuchtturm 1917. The pen holder is a sewing project I found online and is REALLY handy for keeping my pens with my book.

Moleskin is shorter than the Leuchtturm

First, the journal. I was using a Moleskine, dot grid. But it’s not as wide as I would like. So I switched to a Leuchtturm 1917 dot grid. It’s an A5 width, as you can see below.

The start of a bullet journal usually consists of an index to help keep it organized (another nice feature of the Leuchtturm is that it’s page are numbered and it has a table of contents built in.

My Index

I do my book slightly differently, in that I place my collections in the back of my book and work backwards, while my daily journal starts at the front. So split my index accordingly.

The next two spreads are similar. I like to do a Year At a Glance, for an overall picture, or if I need to quickly add something. I have both 2017 and 2018.

Year at a Glance

I then follow these with my Months. I start with a “Hello! [Month]” page. This allows me to quickly add any important things I wrote down from my year-at-a-glance OR to add items I need to make sure to add into my weekly view as I create them.This also lists the day of the week (M, T, W, etc.) so that as I create the pages I put them in the right order.

Month Intro Page

I used to have a Monthly Goals Layout following this. But I never really kept track as much as I would have liked, so it looked empty.

Monthly Goals

Instead, I know follow the Month Intro page with a Time Log. (I used to track this above each day, but it was harder to see the patterns.

With this layout, I’ve found it easy to see patterns in my activities and better plan. I now realized that if I don’t go to sleep right away after work, that I tend to crash around 6/7 or I need a nap (So I shouldn’t tell my friends I’ll see them online later to play WoW). I like to knit while watching TV, I don’t do as much design work as I’d like throughout the week (I tend to procrastinate) and I don’t read as much as I would like.

I then follow this page with my weekly layouts (one week per spread or two pages). So it’s like a “week-at-a-glance”.

This is the main part of my book. Here I not online list events (circles), appointments (triangles) or to do items (squares), but I list things that happened, how I feel, something that bothered me, or cool things that I might want to take note (all small dots). The below images show my progression on how the layout changed over time.

Original layout. Notice the time log across the top, tracking weight, weather, food, water intake and moods.

How my layout is now. Simplified, less to try and track.

I also add washi tape to coordinate specific things that span multiple days. For instance peak at work, when I cannot request time off.

BLack means I can’t request time off at work. Red might mean a Holiday or vacation time. Notice I also track when bills are due.

I’ve also created tab stickers to put on my book to easily find the months I need. Totally optional.

Now onto collection. I don’t keep all collections in the same journal. For smaller lists, I keep them in this journal with my other stuff. Or items I know I need more handy. But for larger collections, I have a separate journal for meeting notes AND a full-sized journal for larger collections (like Knit Projects). These are some of the collections I have:

A legend to remind me of the symbols in my book

Movies to watch. I also try and list when I watched them.

Future tasks. Things I need to do, but not on a specific date, but I don’t want to forget.

Moods. It’s fun to see the color of my moods over a perod of time.

Bills. I like this layout as it tracks the date, the bill, the amount due and if its automatic or not. Then I shade out months if its a yearly bill.

House tasks list, IN the room they need to be done in.

Some misc. icons I can use if needed that I found and don’t want to forget.

My dream purchase list

I even tracked the Tax paperwork I am waiting to be mailed to me so I know when I have everything I need to do taxes.

Tracking my Dungeon & Dragon’s characters.

Design projects or ideas.

Books to read. I still need to update this.

This is for my comics I have and need to get. I’ll list the series. volume and then the issue numbers so I can check them off.

This is in my large book. Two page spread. I know scrapbook is spelled wrong.

Again, in my larger journal. My knit projects.

This is my kids height and weight over the years, to use in their baby books.

Then finally, wherever there is space, I decorate. Cause…I’m me and things need to be cute and artsy.

So, that’s my journal so far. It comes with me everywhere I go. I even bought a few 31 Gifts Tote bags to keep things together. The first bag is their Swap-It Pocket. This lets me hold two small journals, pens, washi tape, markers, and some stickers. I can then toss it in my larger bag or take it out for my “to go” bag.

The Swap-it Pocket

I then have their All-In Organizer. This fits the Swap-It Pocket perfect and has room for extra pens/markers, a box of washi-tape, my larger journal and some other supplies. Plus mesh pockets on the sides for headphones, my phone, keys, etc. I take just this when I just need to work on my journals at the coffee shop.

All-In Organzier

So, there you have my journal. I hope this helps you decide if YOU want to start a bullet journal and become a “bujo junkie” like me.

Oh gosh. Pens. I LOVE my Pilot Metropolitan pens. I have both a Rollerball and a Fountain Pen in Medium Point. The fountain pen writes SO SMOOTH and I have LOTS of fountain pens. I also use the Staedtler triplus fineliners (they are dry safe).

I recently read a blog post where the author talked about how numbers were alive for her. Each had a gender and a relationship and were a family and had certain behaviors.

That made me recall how I perceived things growing up, and talking with others I found I wasn’t alone, although each person had their own sense of how the numbers, or letters or even colors related to each other. Continue reading “Yes, Numbers have a Gender…” »

This past week I got to create a halloween costume for my 6 year old. He wanted to be Optimus Prime.

Amy was able to get a mask at work petty cheap, but no costume for the rest of it. So he was going to wear a red shirt and blue pants….we couldn’t have that…so designer dad to the rescue! Continue reading “Like Father, Like Son” »

Update: This is a very long post. And I am not sure how well-written it will be, as it was hard to write, especially near the end.

As many of you know, I love to knit and play with yarn. Well…I love just about ANY crafty thing that lets me create, like: sewing, scrapbooking, painting, sketching, crocheting, beading, and probably many more.

I found out some devastating news today…my local yarn store is not renewing their lease this fall. Which means it will be gone in a matter of a month unless someone buys it and carries the torch. (If I had the money, I’d do it in a heart beat). I have lots to say about this, but I should give some backstory: Continue reading “A Guy. Some Yarn. A Store. A life changed.” »

As I am writing this post, I am sitting in my very first dorm room, at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. I am spending three days & two nights at Yearbook Camp, hosted by Jostens.

I’ve never attended a 4-year college, and what college’s I have been apart of were St. Paul Technical College (now just St. Paul College) and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh: Online Division. So I never got to experience campus life like this.

It’s different and kinda cool. Walking from my dorm to the dining hall and various lecture halls across the campus (while carrying various books, laptop, etc.–and making so many stops back in my room because I don’t want to carry everything with me all day) has been interesting.

So why am I here at a college campus? For Yearbook Camp! I am here with a fellow advisor (and a fantastic friend) and 5 middle school girls so that they and us can learn more about our yearbook program, create a theme for next years book, and find ways to build the excitement about yearbook in our school to encourage more resources (photos, people and stories) and sales.

Day 1:

The first day we left at 7-7:30am all packed into my van and drove down to the campus. We checked in (girls in one dorm, and me–the only boy in our group–in another). We got our room keys, our materials, etc.

General Session

We then immediately headed to our first lecture: Welcome and General Session. The keynote speaker, Brett Webber, was from California (but originally from South Africa) and very interesting to listen to. He had a great accent and interesting stories.

We then had a small group meeting with our rep and other schools that also use our rep. As well as staff work time, lunch and then more general sessions. The advisors then got to meet with each other and share tips, whielle the girls were on a scavanger hunt.

It was then time for dinner and then specialty sessions. The other advisor and I went to “Developing a Theme” (were we actually just worked creating visuals of the theme our students came up with) while the lecturer talked (shhh, don’t tell anyone) and our girls went to either “Design Trends” or “Yearbook Cover Trends”, where they picked up little ideas to add to our overall theme design. Mikayla kept texting me ideas she was getting during her lecture.

The girls then had a dance in the student union, while us advisors got some quiet time in our rooms before lights out at 11:30.

Day 2:

Breakfast started at 7:30 and then it was another general session (on graphic design) and then lots of staff work time, more specialty sessions (where we sent the girls to learn about how to use Josten’s online software) and the other advisor and I went to our rooms to just chill out and relax. I worked on taking our cover design and setting it to the Jostens template I had just received via email that morning. Our cover was pretty much done and set!

We then met the girls for lunch and then after that, the Girls went to either “Quick Reads and Infographics” or more online training, and the advisor and I took “The Sell Menu” where we learned more about the actual selling features of the online program. (Which, we were very tired and that made the whole thing a bit boring. But at this point, we got to hide out from the girls, so we didn’t mind too much…and it was air conditioned.)

We then had a lot of time to work with our staff. But we were so on the ball, that we had just about everything mostly done for our presentation on Thursday. So we let the girls just explore the campus, or chill in their rooms, while the advisor and I took a much needed nap. (At this point it was very hot outside, and my left foot was killing me to walk on. It also didn’t help that I was up at 3:30 am, since I just couldn’t get back to sleep.)

So I napped, and slept right through my alarms for dinner. Which was okay (other than freaking out the girls that I was missing dinner) because, with my foot, I really didn’t want to walk all that way.

After Dinner, the girls wanted to go swimming, but the advisor and I really needed to get together and sit down and prepare for the presentation on Friday. So we hid out in the rec room of the boys dorm (since the girls wouldn’t be able to bug us there) and got work done!

It was then time for our advisor reception, were the advisors were able to kick back, have a few “beverages” and just get to know each other and make some new friends and get some ideas and play some games and load up on sample books to take home. Oh and eat fancy snacks!)

During the reception, Mikayla texted me that she had a small accident with a door and her toenail. Another advisor that was still in the dorm, helped her bandage up and get everything taken care of. She gave me a play-by-play every minute. She was a real trooper and her natural Girl Scout abilities kicked in and she remained pretty calm. I was so proud of her.

Then it was back to our rooms for rest and lights out.

Day 3:

Mikayla and her bestie at general session.

Breakfast started at 7 am! Even earlier than the day before! After breakfast we had another general session on Photography, then our presentations with our small rep-groups where the girls had to present our theme to the small group. (Our rep group had 5 schools: Blaine, Coon Rapids, Mounds Park Academy, Centennial HS and us, the Middle school) and each school got two votes for the best theme concept and execution. The girls did really well and the four other schools had amazing presentations! Then a closing session on “Making it Personal”.

After all that, they had some closing announcements and announced the grand prize winners from each Rep. group. Each rep group Our girls won from our region! Not only was it the first time that Jostens had middle school students (not counting advisors) but the girls had won as voted on by their peers. They (and us) were so excited and surprised. They won $500 to use towards extra features in the yearbook for next year. We decided end sheets would really complete our cover and theme.

We then got our boxed lunches and then back to our rooms to pack and turn in our keys. Then we were on the road to go home!

It was a fabulous experience and I learned so much (like making sure that my “comfortable shoes” really are comfortable) and that, all in all, the girls behaved themselves pretty well.

It was nice to know that really, Jostens handles everything. Literally. As advisors, we aren’t really in charge of our girls (except for emergencies), Jostens keeps them occupied and watched over, that we can sit back and focus on the ideas they are presenting, and do some of our own learning.

It was also great being able to hang out with my fellow advisor. Carrie is a fantastic friend and we have so much in common. The whole time we kept commenting on how much we were alike (we were practically even having the same thoughts).

I have a pet peeve about my clothes. I like them to stay in great condition so that they last. Whites are the toughest thing to keep clean. Add hard water to your water system makes it harder and now that 99% of detergents no longer have phosphates in them, it’s near impossible. Until now. Continue reading “A Study in White” »

I have been avidly knitting for about a year now…and I love it! It is so fun discovering new patterns, deciphering them and picking the yarn to use and making something useable or fun.

Maxine the Massage Monster

My latest projects have been knitted “Monsters” and my first foray into garments. A very dear friend is having a baby and I wanted to make them a special handmade gift. Her husband and her have become such dear friends ever since my car accident in 2008. From being a “support group” during our weight loss, our personal trainers, our emergency massage therapist, bringing freelance work my way and promoting my business to their clients; they just have been tremendously incredible. So I really wanted to make something very special and unique. Continue reading “My latest projects” »